Isotopia wrote:This thread amuses me for no specific reason other than it conjures up the words 'perspective' and 'relative.'

Keep in mind that today ~30,000 children under the age of six died in this world today.

Where's your outrage now?

Those are all probably children that shouldn't have been born in the first place.

Ouch!

Granted we live in an overpopulated world. Granted the poor have a high birth rate. I don't know that Social Darwinism is an answer to anything.

So answer this question--Why is it that nobody hesitates to apply biological science to controlling the breeding and improving the quality/quantity of just about every other plant or animal, yet we are hesitant to apply the same science to improve our own species? Logically, it just doesn't make sense.

"just about every other plant or animal" is a huge amount of hyperbole. A few dozen, at best, domesticated animals and maybe a few hundred plants. Millions, millions of other species. And we aren't really improving their "quality," just making them more useful to us.
But that's neither here nor there. We'd never even be able to agree on what an "improvement" would be. And we don't have the sort of power over each others life choices that would make it possible to domesticate us.
What you seem to be implying is that we should somehow stop impoverished "third world" residents from having children, I'm assuming by force. Can of worms.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

You may not have noticed, but we don't actually feed them. Some of them, some of the time, perhaps.
It is typical for people who live in countries where life is cheap to have many children, because many, perhaps most will die, but some are almost certain to live and take care of parents when they grow up.
We want them to stop breeding? Educate girls, provide opportunities for women to earn money, provide good birth control.

The Lady with a Lamprey

"The powerful are exploiting people, art and ideas, and this leads to us plebes debating how to best ration ice.Man, no wonder they always win....." Lonesomebri

There are many possible approaches to the problem and I agree with you both...education is extremely important, so is birth control.

The problem I have with most 'humanitarian' solutions is that they are religion based and they seem to feed them and encourage them to breed to add numbers to the flock.

And yes, my statement might be slightly hyperbolic, and actually my original statement was a bit blunt--but consider to whom it was originally intended and his original remark; but fear and religious belief are still the biggest deterrent to 'helping' poor and under developed countries and people. Usually only one part of the equation is offered thus never really solving the problem. And people are afraid of science--even in this country. So many problems with tainted meat and vegetables could easily (and safely) be prevented with irradiation, yet it is being rejected as a solution because unfounded fear. There are many examples of this.

And talk about population explosion in this country, and what parts of the country are leading the explosion--and you wonder where the tea baggers and right wing nuts come from.

I could go on, but I'm already afraid I'm going to be asked for cites.

JK

OH, and Fishy, where were you this year!?!? I missed you at the eplaya meet-n-greet. :(:(

jkisha wrote:There are many possible approaches to the problem and I agree with you both...education is extremely important, so is birth control.

The problem I have with most 'humanitarian' solutions is that they are religion based and they seem to feed them and encourage them to breed to add numbers to the flock.

And yes, my statement might be slightly hyperbolic, and actually my original statement was a bit blunt--but consider to whom it was originally intended and his original remark; but fear and religious belief are still the biggest deterrent to 'helping' poor and under developed countries and people. Usually only one part of the equation is offered thus never really solving the problem. And people are afraid of science--even in this country. So many problems with tainted meat and vegetables could easily (and safely) be prevented with irradiation, yet it is being rejected as a solution because unfounded fear. There are many examples of this.

And talk about population explosion in this country, and what parts of the country are leading the explosion--and you wonder where the tea baggers and right wing nuts come from.

I could go on, but I'm already afraid I'm going to be asked for cites.

JK

OH, and Fishy, where were you this year!?!? I missed you at the eplaya meet-n-greet. :(:(

theCryptofishist wrote:You may not have noticed, but we don't actually feed them. Some of them, some of the time, perhaps.It is typical for people who live in countries where life is cheap to have many children, because many, perhaps most will die, but some are almost certain to live and take care of parents when they grow up.We want them to stop breeding? Educate girls, provide opportunities for women to earn money, provide good birth control.

well, I suppose that got by me.........seems I read all the time, about food shipments to the third world.
Water facilities.
medical help.
infrastructure....
education

etc.

I'm not, at all, saying it shouldn't happen, by the way.

I was merely, posing the query, regarding the consequences of withdrawal, of same.

LOLOLOL. I was just thinking when viewing a picture you posted in another thread of a soldier carrying 'daMule" about what a knack you have for finding 'just the right' pic; then I come back to this thread and well, just had to comment/compliment you.

Isotopia wrote:This thread amuses me for no specific reason other than it conjures up the words 'perspective' and 'relative.'

Keep in mind that today ~30,000 children under the age of six died in this world today.

Where's your outrage now?

Those are all probably children that shouldn't have been born in the first place.

Ouch!

Granted we live in an overpopulated world. Granted the poor have a high birth rate. I don't know that Social Darwinism is an answer to anything.

So answer this question--Why is it that nobody hesitates to apply biological science to controlling the breeding and improving the quality/quantity of just about every other plant or animal, yet we are hesitant to apply the same science to improve our own species? Logically, it just doesn't make sense.

JK

its one of those natural laws that allow people to make poor decisions and pop out more mouths when they cant put food in the mouths that are already there.

All you naysayers and second guessers... The guy didn't even file for insurance until I made a stink... end result I got my money back from the insurance I PAID FOR with the shipping charge! SO boooyaaaaa!